I had big ambitions for 2025. I was going to blog frequently, speak Czech frequently, and watch Czech movies frequently. The universe had other plans for me this year, though, and I didn’t get as much done in those realms as I wanted to.

One thing I unexpectedly got to do a lot of in 2025 was talking about movies. I returned to The Projection Booth Podcast in September to discuss Otakar Vávra’s 1967 film Romance pro křídlovku (Romance For Bugle).

Earlier in the year, my friend Aaron Christensen invited me to be a guest on his YouTube series/podcast Horror 101 with Dr. AC. I was worried about agreeing to it because I knew it would take time away from my Czech studies. However, I thought it would be a good exercise for my social anxiety, and I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to talk about movies I love. I ended up doing 3 episodes in May and December, talking about Shivers, The Reflecting Skin/Baby Blood/Singapore Sling, and Jacob’s Ladder.

In August, I got to combine my love of Czech and horror films by introducing Juraj Herz’s fairytales Panna a netvor (Beauty and the Beast) and Deváté srdce (The Ninth Heart)! My friend Raul Benitez programmed them for SUPER-HORROR-RAMA! at the Music Box Theatre, and he invited me to introduce the movies with him. It was really cool getting to share Czech film with an audience and talking to them about the movies afterwards.

While life always has surprises in store, I’m hoping 2026 goes more according to plan. I will be doing another Czechtember episode on The Projection Booth Podcast, and I’ll also be returning to Horror 101 with Dr. AC. The best news of all though is that I will be going back to Czech Republic this summer! So my New Year’s resolution is to speak Czech every day. Držím palce, že to udělám!